After KKR, Shah Rukh plans to buy a Kolkata football club

New Delhi, Aug 6: After the Kolkata Knigh Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is now planning to bid for the Kolkata franchise of the IPL-like football league promoted by All India Football Federation and IMG-Reliance.

After the Kolkata Knight Riders, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan now plans to move into the more popular football space. He is planning to bid for the Kolkata franchise of the new league promoted by All India Football Federation (AIFF) and IMG-Reliance.

The sport buff actor said he was interested in buying stakes in the Dempo, a successful Goan I-League club, but changed his mind after coming to know about a new franchise-based league coming up.

He said he would love to have a Kolkata-based football club. Khan is also the brand ambassador of West Bengal.

The new football tournament, scheduled between January and March next year, will feature eight teams, 176 players and 72 overseas players. After the success of the IPL, IMG-R also plans to glamourise Indian football and have entered a contract with the AIFF for 12 years.

Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Goa and Guwahati have been shortlistd for the action. Each team will have nine foreign, eight India and four U-21 players. The franchise auction will be held in September. Some of the world's top footballers like David Beckham, Michael Own, Thierry Henry and Raul Gonzalez could be seen kicking the ball in the upcoming tournament. There will also be eight icon players.